7/31/2009

So our good buddy Marian Hossa is once again back in the news. And as he's so accustom to, it once again involves a controversy.

According to ESPN.com,

The National Hockey League has launched an investigation into the recent signings of Marian Hossa and Chris Pronger.

The NHL will hire an outside firm to determine whether the Chicago Blackhawks and Philadelphia Flyers discussed a timeline for Hossa's or Pronger's potential retirement before the long-term contracts were signed.

At the end of the investigation the NHL will decide whether to pursue charges against the the teams for circumventing the collective bargaining agreement. The teams could face fines, the loss of draft picks or both.

Hossa signed a 12-year deal with the Blackhawks that begins with payments of $7.9 million for the first seven years and finishes with four years at $1 million annually. The overall cap hit for the Blackhawks is a completely manageable $5.275 million a year.